I am a surgeon who was stuck by a solid pin after it passed through the leg of a man with chronic active disease HCV. The pin went through two gloves and nicked my skin without embedding deeply. I bled a drop, but then I squeezed blood out and washed with betadine and chlorhexidine immediately. What is my risk and your advice? (started HIV prophylaxis and tested him)
Thanks

Response from Dr. Dieterich

The risk is still low with a solid object. It is about .3% or so. I would recommend testing yourself with AST and ALT and HCV PCR at 4 weeks and 8 weeks and add HCV antibody at 12 and 24 weeks. If you do become HCV positive by PCR, I would confirm it with a follow up a week or so later. Then you have to make a decision about treatment. If you treat the acute infection, the cure rate is almost 100%. If you wait and watch, you have about a 15% chance of clearing the virus on your own. It is a low risk exposure, not being a hollow bore needle. Good luck! DTD

This forum is designed for educational purposes only, and experts are not rendering medical, mental health, legal or other professional advice or services. If you have or suspect you may have a medical, mental health, legal or other problem that requires advice, consult your own caregiver, attorney or other qualified professional.

Experts appearing on this page are independent and are solely responsible for editing and fact-checking their material. Neither TheBody.com nor any advertiser is the publisher or speaker of posted visitors' questions or the experts' material.

The Body is a service of Remedy Health Media, LLC, 750 3rd Avenue, 6th Floor, New York, NY 10017. The Body and its logos are trademarks of Remedy Health Media, LLC, and its subsidiaries, which owns the copyright of The Body's homepage, topic pages, page designs and HTML code. General Disclaimer: The Body is designed for educational purposes only and is not engaged in rendering medical advice or professional services. The information provided through The Body should not be used for diagnosing or treating a health problem or a disease. It is not a substitute for professional care. If you have or suspect you may have a health problem, consult your health care provider.